BANGOR – The Penobscot County Bar Association last week awarded college scholarships to the winners of its annual Law Day essay and art contest.

Matthew McLaughlin, 18, of Brewer, a senior at Brewer High School, won first prize in the essay contest. Joyce Belanger, 16, of Glenburn, a sophomore at Bangor High School, won the art poster contest.

Both were awarded a $500 scholarship for college, according to Sarah L. Reinhart, chairwoman of the Law Day Scholarship contest.

The theme for this year’s contest that marked the 50th anniversary of Law Day was “The Rule of Law: Foundation for Communities of Opportunity and Equity.” All students in grades nine-12 in Penobscot County could enter the contest.

McLaughlin, who will attend the University of Maine this fall, based his essay on Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense.”

“Through the Rule of Law,” he wrote, “the people are allowed to voice their opinions, make decisions about how the country is run, and lead free, happy lives. The government makes sure vices do not interfere in the lives of the people, and it governs according to their wishes.

“As a result,” he concluded, “the Rule of Law creates a system of checks and balances, something crucial in order to maintain communities of opportunity and equity. Thus, stable communities are built where the government by the people and for the people can rule with justice.”

The son of Kathy Schwigan and Joe McLaughlin, he plans to major in international relations and Spanish. He said last week that he is interested in law but is unsure whether he wants to go to law school after college.

“I’ve always been interested in what’s going on in the world and how nations interact with each other,” he said last week. “I’d love to travel abroad while I’m in college too.”

Belanger thought about her idea for several weeks before she began sketching, then painting.

“I started thinking about the foundation our country is built upon and the different people that make up America now,” she said Wednesday. “That led me to think about fingerprints and how everyone’s are unique.”

Belanger created a tree. Its tangled roots spell out the “law” and its leaves are fingerprints pressed on the paper in shades of green. In some of the leaves, the she spelled out “equality.”

The daughter of James and Debbie Belanger, she said she hopes to pursue art in college but also likes working with children.

The bar association has offered the scholarship since 1997 in connection with Law Day that has been celebrated on May 1 since 1958. The day was created by President Eisenhower as a “day of national dedication to the principle of government under law.” During the height of the Cold War, Law Day was counterpoised against May Day as feted in the Soviet Union, according to the bar association.

jharrison@bangordailynews.net

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